Taiwan News Quick Takes

Staff Writer, with CNA

ECONOMY

Fuel prices to rise

State-run oil refiner CPC Corp will raise gasoline and diesel prices by NT$0.3 (US$0.01) a liter from tomorrow to reflect its cost as international crude oil prices continued to rise, the company said yesterday. With the latest price adjustment, CPC is offering 92, 95 and 98-grade gasoline at NT$31.2, NT$31.9 and NT$33.4 a liter respectively, and super diesel at NT$29.2 a liter. The company has raised prices of gasoline and diesel products for three consecutive weeks as international crude oil prices continued to rise.

CRIME

Hospital officials post bail

Two detained hospital superintendents were released on bail yesterday after they were charged with bribery over equipment purchases. The two, Chest Hospital superintendent Chung Wei-sheng (鐘威昇) and National Yang Ming University Hospital superintendent Tang Kao-chun (唐高駿), were detained over purchases of CT scanners and digital image processing systems. The Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office turned the two over to the court after indicting them on Friday. Prosecutors said both Chung and Tang are ranking officials, but they received bribes from medical equipment suppliers. They are seeking steep punishments for the two and a retrieval of their ill-gotten gains. The Taoyuan District Court, after a screening of their case, ruled early yesterday that Chung and Tang should be released on NT$8 million (US$275,864) and NT$4 million bail, respectively.

POLITICS

KMT elects CSC members

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday elected 32 Central Standing Committee (CSC) members, with 23 of 24 incumbents re-elected. CSC member Yao Jiang-lin (姚江臨), director of the labor union of Taipower, topped the list by winning 1,104 votes, followed by former KMT legislator Hong Yuh-chin (洪玉欽) and TV mogul Chiu Fu-sheng (邱復生). KMT Legislator Liao Kuo-tung (廖國棟) failed to win re-election, becoming the only incumbent who did not obtain a seat. Nine members who were elected for the first time included Federation of Aviation Employees director-general Jesse Lee (李昭平) and Nantou Mayor Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華).

HEALTH

Man dies of dengue fever

The Department of Health in Greater -Kaohsiung on Friday confirmed the nation’s first death this year from locally acquired dengue hemorrhagic fever and urged residents to take precautions against the disease. There had been 85 reported cases of locally acquired dengue fever, in addition to the fatality caused by the illness in the city as of Thursday, according to the department. The victim, a 60-year-old male, who lived in the city’s Lingya District (苓雅), was taken to a hospital emergency room on Wednesday suffering from a lack of appetite, bleeding gums and septic shock. He died the same day as a result of multiple organ failure. A postmortem examination confirmed that the man had been infected with dengue hemorrhagic fever, the department said. According to the department, statistics show that older people with chronic disease are more likely to die of the illness, which has a 9.6 percent mortality rate. The department urged residents to see a doctor if they experience muscle or joint pain, fever, headache, fatigue or internal bleeding, which are common dengue fever symptoms.